While the Moons Watch (Nia)

[Reky]

He was exhausted.

Eondith gave a nigh-inaudible rumble, a soothing sound, as his rider put a hand on his neck, leaning against it. The night was at the middle of its life. Belior and Timor glowed overhead, sentinels in the inky blanket of darkness. The stars were bright, too, where they shone through the clouds. There were a lot of clouds. Despite their efforts, the stars and moons couldn't quite shine bright enough to well-illuminate the night. The warmth of the day still clung, though, just barely. It was a good night for a delivery.

R'fus forced himself to stand on his own, and to muster some energy. They had just got back from picking up a package, and were resting instead of betweening all the way to the final client. It was, after all, a delicate delivery. He didn't want the cold of between to damage it.

While Eondith rumbled soothingly again, nudging His lightly, R'fus opened the cloth-wrapped bundle. He held it carefully, so as not to crush it, and looked upon it. Small fruits on branches, with leaves and blossoms with pointed petals, rested on the cloth. Fellis, straight from the tree, taken for purposes other than medicinal. It was in perfect condition, too. It was R'fus' job, as a runner, to keep it that way. Any damage, and there was less in it for him.

"Ever seen anything better, Eon?" R'fus whispered quietly. "This'll fetch a lot, as long as the person extracting it doesn't mess up." He felt, in him, an itch for that clear narcotic liquid. He tried, very hard, to keep himself from becoming dangerously addicted, and so far had succeeded. He kept it as a treat for himself, a 'once in a while vacation.'

Eondith gave an indifferent snort in reply.

"Alright," R'fus said, heaving a heavy sigh. He carefully wrapped the fellis up again, and held it gently. Remember where we're going? he asked the blue dragon, sending him an image as well. Eondith nodded.

[/blockquote]

[Nia]

The night was really starting to become Kio's time to wander, though that was to be expected, considering he had just Impressed a wher. A Blue. A Blue named Kiosk that was currently walking next to him. He eyed the Blue warily, feeling Kiosk's curiosity as he looked around for something, anything, that he could assist. Whers did have quite simple minds, didn't they? And this one sure had a one track mind. Help, help, must help others, must help the world. It was annoying. Kio certainly didn't want to help he world, he wanted to observe it and possibly control everything from his place behind the scenes. That's all. A modest goal and one that Kiosk was not going to make any easier to obtain.

But that didn't matter. Kio was used to obstacles. He'd overcome this.

Not that it was too hard. Dragon,

[/i] Kiosk said, suddenly alert to the large form that they were walking towards. Kio had already spotted the dragon and it's rider and had been attempting to avoid them. He didn't really feel like talking to anyone at the moment. Busy! We help?[/i] Yes, they did look busy, and no, Kio was not going to assist them. If anything, he was going to go over there and make it worse for whatever parties were involved. Hmm... they did look interesting, though. Even with the darkness, Kio could tell that the Bluerider was holding something. A secret, midnight delivery? Oooh... Kio could definitely get involved in that.

So he sped up his pace, leaving the little Blue wher to have to run to catch up, but Kio wasn't really bothered. "Hey!" he yelled out as he approached, hoping that he'd stop the Bluerider before he had a chance to leave. Kio definitely wanted in on this. He didn't know what it was the Bluerider was doing, but Kio could tell it was going to be good. Who snuck out in the middle of the night to carry boxes around? Crazy people. Well, crazy people or crazy secretive people. Didn't matter which. Both were fine.

"What have you got there?" he had his usual, sly grin on his face as he got even closer to R'fus, walking in a half circle around the Bluerider and then back again, moving rather close as to get a good look at the package R'fus was holding. "A secret love letter for an affair? A spy mission sent to you by the Weyrleaders?" his smirk darkened. "Or perhaps... something... illegal?" He thought he'd caught a glimpse of... something, though Kio wasn't sure. But if he'd saw what he thought he saw, then this was absolutely perfect. He could use this as blackmail... even though he had told Ezra he wasn't going to blackmail anyone, what the other boy didn't know wouldn't hurt him, right?[/blockquote][/size]

[Reky]

R'fus had moved to mount Eondith again. While he could take his time, he was being expected at Southern Hold, and a stop in Frontier Hold was scheduled to save Eondith's energy and the fellis' vitality. It was only a few minutes away including breaks, true, but he wanted to get on as soon as possible. His goal was to get a decent amount of sleep this night. He blamed the weather for his exhaustion, to make it less of an inexplicable inconvenience. The weather was lovely, lately, but still he blamed it. Perhaps it was because he had become accustomed to the winter here.

His plans were put to a halt, though. Someone yelled out at them. Both R'fus and Eondith winced. The loud voice wasn't at all welcome. Both of them preferred the silence from before. Then, after the initial wince, the panic set in. There would no doubt be punishment if he was caught with the illegally-obtained fellis. People didn't like fellis going to people other than healers. Using it for purposes that weren't medicinal was taboo. R'fus felt his heart up in his throat, hoping the person coming towards him wasn't a higherup, or a tattletale. Cautiously, he turned to see.

A black-haired boy and a wher came forward. A small wher, from the gold's clutch he'd caught wind of, no doubt. While it pained him to stereotype things, and tried not to, whers were always associated with the sneaky and the watching in his mind. It was just a subconscious, logical connection. They were nocturnal and knew the shadows - hence, sneaky - and they weren't called 'watchwhers' for no reason. Needless to say, being watched and noticed wasn't on R'fus' list of things to do.

The wherling, though, didn't reprimand R'fus. That was a slight relief. However, the prodding questions that came instead weren't much better.

Now, there weren't many things that could get R'fus defensive or aggressive. As a general rule, he avoided that. Something he didn't like, though, were wastes of time. He had something to do, somewhere to be, and being held back irked him, especially since this was his business. This was drugs. Expectedly, it wasn't the soft and protective R'fus that Kio found. It was the R'fus that was rough and hardened by life. He didn't frown, but there was a disapproving look on his chiseled face.

"I'm fairly sure," he said, in a quiet but stern tone. He would have none of the loud speaking. "That it ain't any of your business." He was hoping that this nosy boy wouldn't grab at the cloth-wrapped fellis. It was extremely delicate, and as much as R'fus tried to avoid physical violence, it would be hard for him to keep from decking the boy if he damaged it. He really, really hoped he could avoid that. Judging by the boy's voice and manner, he had a feeling he was the sort that delighted in other peoples' punishment. R'fus was sure that, if he hurt the wherling, that it would come back to bite him.

Molly was around his neck, like always. She was there so often, that R'fus hardly ever noticed her. She shifted, though, peering through narrowed eyes at the wherling and wheret. She arched her back, and let out a little, quiet hiss. Eondith snorted, his whirling eyes on Kio and Kiosk as well.

He will tell if you do not,

[/i] Eondith said. There was a hint of disgust in his voice. R'fus understood what he meant. If R'fus left the kid to guess, the kid would assume it was bad and would tell. He gritted his teeth.

"It's fellis," he let out. "But like I said. It ain't your business, kid."[/size][/blockquote]

[Nia]

Kio had hit the jackpot, literally. He knew it the moment R'fus had said it wasn't any of his business that he'd discovered something amazing. He just knew it. But a fellis dealer? Kio was shocked at his own good fortune. Kiosk sent happy thoughts over to His, quite pleased that Kio was so interested in... helping this Bluerider. Too bad the Blue wher wasn't intelligent enough to truly decipher Kio's thought process, because he wasn't really thinking about helping anyone but himself. The sad truth, but at least Kio could admit his selfishness. That was the first step, afterall.

The dragon and firelizard didn't seem to like him, but that was fine. They didn't have to like him. He was rather glad that he hadn't thought to snatch away the bundle from R'fus, as he didn't want to damage his new money-making scheme. Yes, Kio was going to find a way for this to work out in his favor. He definitely was. People all over wanted fellis, and who was better to find those people than an investigator? This was going to work out in both their favors... and Kio could already feel the marks he was going to make from this. It wasn't all the money, though, he was delighted at the chance to first screw with this dealer's head. It was fun, what could he say?

It wasn't any of Kio's business, and no one knew this more than Kio did, but interfering with others was becoming his trademark. Most people certainly wouldn't view that as a good thing, but Kio sure did, and he was quite pleased with his ability to annoy others. And this Bluerider looked plenty annoyed with him, though that was probably just because Kio had interupted his fellis... dealing... thing. Whatever. He didn't really care. Kio was the detective, that was what he did. He investigated. He found things out. He uncovered illegal fellis-dealing operations... and then forced his way into them. If it came down to a physical fight, well, at least Kio could run fast. He wasn't the best hitter, but he did still have the blade he used to bond with Kiosk, and if anything he could pull that out and do some fancy knifework. Yeah... R'fus might have been stronger than him, but Kio was more agile. He'd win in a fight.

He just hoped it wasn't going to come down to that.

"A fellis dealer?" he said, smirking, but then let his smirk fade to a rather innocent smile, "What a noble job! Delivering fellis to the Healers who need it," he gave his best look of admiration... for a moment, but then his smirk was back, "But why would you have to be so secretive about it? Unless...." his smirk darkened, "It's... illegal? How shameful," he gave a short laugh, and left it at that. Surely this Bluerider had to feel bad about his job, right? No dealer could be happy about their illegal processes. If Kio could play off of that... well, even if he didn't end up convincing this dealer to work with him then at least he'd have some fun on a what would have been a typical, boring night.

[/size]

[Reky]

R'fus definitely didn't like where this was going. The worst part of it was that there was only one way for it to go, too - there was no chance at changing it. Not if R'fus wanted to keep his good reputation at Dalibor. He could only let this kid weasel his way in. Otherwise, his secret would get out. He knew that the kid wanted in. Normally, R'fus wouldn't be as hesitant to get someone to help him. He'd had a group of two or three helpers in his past stations who helped with deliveries and information and the like. The problem was, though, was that so far, he hated this kid. He hated his personality. He didn't need any more reasons than that. The way Kio spoke was irritating, the way played faux-dumb was irritating, the way he was shoving his nose in R'fus' business was irritating. He was just irritating as a whole.

R'fus grimaced.

"You might think it's shameful," he snorted. R'fus didn't agree with that. On occasion, it was a tricky job, but he'd never been ashamed of it. Sometimes, he felt forced into it, but never, never ashamed. Never guilty, save for once, when his childhood friend and business partner, Dranin, died of an overdose. R'fus knew it hadn't been his fault, but he couldn't shake the feeling of guilt. He still missed Dranin, despite it having been so long since his passing, and despite how much of an addict he was. They'd been close.

R'fus set the fellis gently on the saddle on Eondith's back, below the third neck ridge. Then he turned and fixed a stern look on Kio.

"Look, kid," he said, disgust and irritation in his voice. "You're annoying and immature, as far as ah'm concerned. Just get to th'point. I know you want in. Problem is, you gotta be good at it. Ain't no one gonna find some scrawny dead kid dropped between. Might not be me who does it, but if you piss off the people in charge of these ops, you're sharded to the Red Star and back."

Eondith's teeth were bared in a disapproving sneer, eyes whirling with irritation and theat, staring into Kio's soul. R'fus didn't like Kio, and Eondith liked him even less. Molly was still glaring, too, and even though a glare was her default expression, it was a little more intense than usual. R'fus folded his arms across his chest.

If this kid promised to behave, R'fus would try to tolerate him. Admittedly, he needed the help. Being a one-man show for the entire Western Continent had its difficult times. It was hard to keep track of everything while juggling fellis running and weyr duties. He'd done his best, though. He managed fine, albeit stressed. Help... Help would be good, though. He'd have to introduce Kio to some of the important fellis business figures, though... That might prove amusing, at least.

[/blockquote]

[Nia]

Kio was excited. Extremely, utterly elated. All the hate! He could almost feel the hate rolling off in waves from all three of the beings assembled before him, even the firelizard was radiating hate! It was wonderful, to be hated so much. He didn't know why it made him so happy and excited to be so sharding hated... but it did. He just loved watching people's reactions, it was what he lived for. And if that reaction just so happened to be hate, then fine. He could enjoy that too. Besides, he was stumbling upon the deal of a lifetime, how could he not be excited? A fellis dealer! A sharding illegal fellis dealer! He wasn't all that ashamed about it thought. That was fine, though. It just made it easier.

His obnoxious smirk grew wider as R'fus figured out exactly what he wanted. That just made him even happier. A smart drug-dealer! Well, not that it took a genius to understand what Kio was hinting at. Still, at least he wasn't completely oblivious. The fact that he was refered to as "kid" bugged Kio a bit, but he could get over it. He was only 18 turns, afterall. A "child" genius, of course, but only 18. He stared nonchalantly back at Eondith, despite how the dragon's stare almost stung a bit. So much hate... but no, Kio liked being hated. That was what he set out to do.

Such a big operation needed a lot of information. It had to. And in return, Kio could get marks and even more information from the other Weyrs! He could start a whole network! His smirk didn't drop even at R'fus's warnings about being kind to higher-ups and being dropped between. Bah, like any of those people were smarter than he was. Kio could handle himself. Kiosk sat quietly at his feet, watching his with an unhappy face and sending unhappy thoughts. This was not helping! This was hurting! Kiosk knew it! His was being bad! Bad bad bad!

He dropped his obnoxious, faux-dumb act and shoved his hands into his pockets rather than jumping around like an excited lunatic. A calm smirk crossed his face and gave a small laugh. "Your concern is unnecessary. I know how to get people to like me," he could suck up when needed, was what he was saying. As arrogant as Kio was, he also prided himself on being a manipulator... and sometimes being manipulative meant sucking up. "I'm the best there is when it comes to finding information. I already know almost everything there is to know about Dalibor," he said with a very arrogant expression. Of course he was the best... there really weren't that many others who cared. "Ah... I'm also organized. I can keep track of things." He added as almost an afterthought. If all he needed to do was organize who got what and where R'fus betweened and when and who the fellis got to... well, that was fine. It wasn't like he was going to do grunt work or anything... that, obviously, was R'fus's job.

Bad, Mine. Not help,

[/i] Kiosk said quietly, but Kio ignored him. This was bad. Kiosk did not like it. Just let me do this. Then we can go save some felines from a tree, alright? Kio said absently, still focused entirely on R'fus. Of course he loved Kiosk... but shards! This was getting bothersome.[/blockquote][/size]

[Reky]

He had to admit, he disliked the kid a little less when he dropped the dumb act. Still, though, he didn't like him. He knew he might need him, but that didn't mean he had to like him. There were a lot of colleagues that R'fus didn't exactly like, both in the fellis business and in the Weyr. Some of the other dealers were complete addicts and total assholes, and R'fus could barely force himself to tolerate them. He, at least, was an educated dealer. He wasn't a dimglow like most. He knew how to do things right, and how to get the most money. Most people didn't. It wasn't a surprise that some of them never seemed to turn up again.

Eondith was still glaring, but Molly had left off, going back to sleep. R'fus, resigned to his fate to be more or less stuck with this wherling, put a rough, calloused hand on the blue dragon's nose. Eondith's nostrils flared, smelling His' hands and the smell of fellis flowers on them. In the moonlight, the dusky blue creature really was a sight to see. Everything about him was elegant, even his hatred. He calmed, though, when His touched his nose, eyes whirling in R'fus' direction now.

"Make sure you prove it, then," was all R'fus said to Kio's boasting of his skills. "Look, kid, I have a delivery to make. You can stay, or you can come." With a wrinkle of his nose, R'fus picked up the fellis bundle and climbed up to Eondith's neck. He laid the precious package across his lap, and adjusted his riding helmet and gloves and strapped himself in. Eondith was not happy with the prospect of having Kio ride on his back and carry the little blue wher, and snorted his disapproval.

We'll have to time it when we come back, R'fus warned. If they come. They would surely notice if a young wher went missing. It would be R'fus' priority, then, to get them right back to a little past this precise time.

I do not like him, Mine, Eondith said.

I... I know, Eon. I know.

R'fus looked to Kio for his answer, eyes dark.

[/blockquote]

[Nia]

Kio was rather disappointed that R'fus didn't seem more interested in his skills. He'd worked hard to get all that information! The least R'fus could do was act impressed! He frowned, though he really wasn't all that annoyed by it, and it was more of a playful pout than anything else. And he was quick to break out into a large grin again, smiling happily at the dragon that glared so intently at him. Hmm... this Blue really didn't like him! That was depressing, he was so close in color to Kiosk and everything! Well, not really, but whatever. Close enough. They were both Blue-somethings, so they should connect! Obviously this dragon didn't seem to understand that.

That didn't really matter, though, because already he was being invited to come along! He swiftly picked up Kiosk, who whined about how they weren't helping anyone by doing this, and nodded excitedly. "Of course I want to come along! I'm going to need to learn this stuff if I want to... excel in this business," he was mostly talking to himself, but he said it outloud for R'fus's measure. Plus, he really liked hearing the sound of his own voice.

With Kiosk settled in his arms, Kio made to climb awkwardly on to Eondith. He didn't like dragons, and never really had. But whatever, if it was a means to obtain his goal then he'd deal with the things. He felt connected to Eondith, anyway! Kiosk was Blue, so they... were like, Blue brothers. Kio gave an outward laugh at his mental joke and tried to settle himself behind R'fus, wrapping his arms around the other and clinging to him... for his own amusement, really. He tended to enjoy invading other people's personal space. It was fun to see how they reacted, especially since R'fus hated him. Well, he had an excuse to do this, right? Didn't want to fall, even if he was strapped in. Oh well, better to be safe than sorry, right?

Kiosk was squished uncomfortably, but was holding tight to Kio. Dragons... were big. And... they were doing something bad. Bad. Bad! But Kio ignored the wher's pleas to get down and go back to where he was supposed to be. He hummed a happy tune to himself while waiting for R'fus to leave. "Well? I'm ready, time to gooo," he said in a sing-songy tone, and idlely wondered just how far he could push this Bluerider. ...it was probably better not to find out, though. Not when he was building a partnership.

[/size]

[Reky]

He'd expected Kio to accept the offer. Eondith had, too, and the dragon dreaded it with every fiber of his body. As Kio climbed onto the dragon, he would be able to feel Eondith shift and tense underneath him, pawing the ground impatiently. The sing-song voice grated on his dragon ears, and he rumbled deep and low in displeasure. R'fus patted the beast's neck, and rubbed the suede hide reassuringly. If R'fus could learn to tolerate Kio, then Eondith could, too. Eondith would probably be less accepting, though. He never really had liked anyone except for R'fus, unless they were female dragons.

R'fus shifted in his seat, careful not to damage the fellis, but he purposely jabbed Kio in the act, making it seem accidental. Hopefully that'd stop his humming. "Don't push your luck, kid," R'fus grunted.

Already, Eon. Off we go. Watch the weyr. Remember - we wanna be here after we get out of here. No delays.

Eondith snorted, and nodded his head. Then, with a powerful leap, he shoved himself up in the air, wings beating strong. They climbed, and both rider and dragon looked down at the weyr below. They caught sight of a person walking below. Both imagined the person a few steps ahead of where they were right now, burning it into their memories, and then switched to an image of Frontier Hold. Then, they disappeared. Moments later, they would reappear in the same place and spiral lazily down to the weyrbowl, after timing it back. In another time, though, they were in another place.

They spent mere moments in the nothingness of between before they arrived above R'fus' childhood home. Nostalgia filled him as they hung in the air a moment, to preserve the fellis and Eondith's energy, and then betweened again. Their last stop was Southern Hold, and Eondith wasted no time landing in a forest clearing not far off. R'fus dismounted.

"Rufus, Rufus, Rufus," said a voice from the shadows between trees. "You're late. Six minutes, old boy. Losing our touch, are we?" A man stepped forward, gaunt and middle-aged. He stood tall and proud, though, looking down his nose at R'fus. "What am I to do with you?"

"You wouldn't even have this stuff if you didn't have me, Brandek," R'fus said. There was, oddly, a hint of a smile on his voice. He held the fellis bundle carefully.

"Come, come, let me see," said Brandek, grinning a winning grin. Then, he paused. "What's this you have with you, hmm? Stowaways?" He raised his eyebrows at Kio and Kiosk.

[/blockquote]

[Nia]

Kio clung tight to R'fus even after he was so rudely jabbed. It was obviously not accidental, but Kio stopped humming, though he did snicker lightly at the other's behavior. He wasn't being given any leway here, was he? Of course not... the man didn't like him even the slightest bit. But that was fine. Kio enjoyed being hated much more than he enjoyed being loved... it was just such a more powerful feeling. Ah... whatever, he didn't particularly care. Kiosk remained squished between them, holding on to Kio for dear life as the dragon took off. Up high! No ground!

[/i] he said fearfully, definitely not liking this at all. Yup, Kio replied cheerfully, and then they were wisked through between.

The trips were almost dizzying for Kio, but he kept his mind steady. It wouldn't do to become disoriented now. He had to make a good first impression for... whoever R'fus was taking this stuff to. They were making quite a few trips to various places that Kio couldn't recognize. But he looked around, eyes wide and taking in all his surroundings, his quick, calculating mind keeping track of everything. Kiosk seemed nervous, still, but that was natural. Whers weren't meant to fly, and he was still young. He was rather glad when they finally started landing, though.

R'fus dismounted, and Kio did as well, though with exaggerated motions and a flourish to finish it off. He liked his dramatics. The teen had a very wide, very excited smirk across his face, drinking in his surroundings. Kiosk walked hesitantly beside him, looking rather nervous. But he wanted to help. They were helping this strange new man, right? Kio watched patiently as the new man and R'fus exchanged words... mentally keeping note of how the fellis-dealer exchanged with others. Was that a friendly tone he heard...? So, maybe this dealer wasn't the cold type... probably only to Kio. The thought almost made him laugh again.

He grinned even wider at the mention of himself and waved cheerfully at the middle-aged man, then shoved his hands back into his pockets. "I'm Kio! That's Kiosk. We're... going to help with this little business of his," he said with a devilish smirk that implied much more mischief than assistance. Regardless of that, Kiosk was very pleased with His's choice of words. "And you are...?" he asked. He wasn't a nervous little kid, and he needed to establish that right off.[/blockquote][/size]

[Reky]

"You could say that," R'fus replied to Brandek, still holding the fellis in his arms. He glanced backward at Kio, who had dismounted with his small wher and was waving and talking with that voice that had begun to grate a little on R'fus' ears. It wasn't, exactly, because of the sound, but more because of the person it was attached to. R'fus wrinkled his nose.

Brandek seemed amused. He rubbed at the rough beard on his chin, grinning. "Kio, eh? And a wherhandler. A baby wherhandler. Faranth, R'fus, betweening with babies?" He shot R'fus a teasing look, before looking back at Kio. He walked a few steps forward, and it was clear he was at least a head taller than the boy. "The name's Brandek. You're lucky, kid. R'fus is a softy compared to most of the fellis dealers, so he won't crush you too bad if you do something stupid." At this, he gave a warm smile, but it came off odd. Everything about the man was slightly... off.

Brandek sized Kio up, and raised his eyebrows at the tiny blue wher. Then, he simply laughed, and turned his attention back to R'fus and walked over to him. R'fus' back was to Kio.

"This is it," said R'fus, showing the goods to Brandek.

"Oh, Faranth, wouldja lookit that," Brandek said. "Now that is beautiful." He clapped R'fus on the shoulder. "Congrats, you aren't a dipshit like most people. You actually take good care of it. Hey, kid!" Brandek looked back at Kio. "D'you even know what this stuff does? What it feels like?" He flashed a grin, and then, while waiting for an answer, took the delicate bundle from R'fus, and handed him a small pouch of marks instead.

R'fus was silent. He emptied the pouch into his hand, to count out the marks before returning them to the pouch and then to the pocket inside his riding jacket. He sent a brief, indifferent glance at Kio, as if to make sure he hadn't disappeared or anything, before looking back at the fellis Brandek held. There was a small amount of longing in his gaze.

[/blockquote]

[Nia]

A baby? Kio was definitely not a baby. He was built rather scrawny, he could admit that, but he certainly wasn't a baby. But a, ah, "closer" look at this guy showed Kio that he wasn't quite... there? Was that the word? Well, something was certainly off about him. It was most likely all the fellis abuse, Kio figured. What else would throw a man so far off his rocker? He scoffed at the mention that he might do something stupid. As if. He wasn't an idiot, in fact, he was very far from it. But this man didn't know that, and really, neither did R'fus, so Kio could let it go. His genius was better hidden anyway. "Oh, I assure you I won't do anything stupid," he commented offhandedly, not really expecting a response. He just wasn't going to let such an insult to his intelligence get away unscathed.

With R'fus's back to him, Kio moved a bit closer, peaking around the other man to watch what he was doing. Kio wasn't big on fellis, or drugs in general, as he'd never really seen the need for him, so he'd never seen it up close. He really wanted to get a good look at what he was going to finding people for. It was important to know his merchandise, right? Of course. It looked so delicate. And Brandek's words only served to further Kio's thoughts. Yes... this was pretty dangerously delicate stuff they were dealing with. Well, at least he'd found a competant dealer!

His next words... honestly, didn't interest Kio all that much. He'd never seen the point of drugs. He could keep himself happy just by observing the people around him and messing with their heads. How could any drug ever match the feeling of seeing someone's eyes fill up with the dispair of someone who found out they'd been tricked? It couldn't. Though... he'd never seen anyone under the influence of fellis, either. He eyed R'fus's face, or at least, the side he could see from where he was, and then Brandek. Hmm... could he convince them to try it right here? Maybe all of them go off on a drug binge? Of course... Kio wouldn't actually take it, just pretend to. ...or maybe he could take it. He trusted himself enough that he knew he wasn't going to get addicted.

Well, worth a try, he guessed.

He put on his most wide-eyed, innocent look for Brandek's sake (he figured it wasn't going to work on R'fus) and shook his head, walking around so he was standing next to R'fus. "No... no! I've never even seen this stuff before," he said with as much conviction as he possibly could. He couldn't help but notice R'fus' stare at the fellis as well. Interesting.... he continued, "I've never even seen anyone use it before! Kind of sad, right? Well... I am pretty young. But... I mean, if I'm going to help dear R'fus here with this stuff... shouldn't I get a demonstration? I'm sure this stuff is much more fun with more people." Ah... if it ended up not working out then that was no real loss. It wasn't like he really wanted to try the stuff... it was mostly for... educational purposes.

[/size]

[Reky]

Brandek laughed.

It wasn't a pleasant sound. It was hoarse, and at the same time greasy like the man's appearance, and it showed his yellowing crooked teeth. "That's something I never heard," he said, grinning afterwards as he looked down at Kio. "A fellis helper who never had fellis. Usually they get hooked and then get involved in the biz, because it means free stuff sometimes. That's what happened with Rufus here, eh, right Roofie?"

R'fus glowered at Brandek. Tonight wasn't a good night. He'd worked hard to keep himself from getting heavily dependent on fellis, but the itch was creeping its way up his spine. He saw the tiny, delicate five-pointed flowers there, with the leaves... the leaves the juice came from. It was a bit of a stressful night, too, with Kio's showing up. Maybe just a little...

"Not quite," R'fus replied, his voice a little absent.

"Ah, that's right, your friend was," said Brandek, still grinning. "You were a lightweight, werentcha?"

R'fus wrinkled his nose slightly.

"Dranin, wasn't he? Your friend? The dead one?" The dazzle in Brandek's eyes showed his enjoyment at R'fus' discomfort. Friends they may be, at least on the outside, but Brandek was never a truly kind man. Brandek was slippery and sadistic, if a good fellis preparer. He continued, "He never really was any good. Compared to you, at least. He was a little too... twitchy."

"Stop," R'fus snapped. "Stop. Don't... don't..."

"Talk about our dear Dranin?" Brandek chuckled. "Ah, well, I suppose I owe you that, at least. You're a good runner, R'fus. A shardin' good runner. In fact..." He pulled a small bottle from his pocket. "How 'bout a tip? You can share with the babies."

It was a long, yearning glance that R'fus gave to the bottle and the clear liquid within. He gritted his teeth at his own weakness as he reached out and took it in his own hands, keeping his eyes away from Brandek's grinning face, and away from Kio and Kiosk. Behind him, Eondith gave a soothing, quiet rumble, eyes whirling in an indistinguishable jumble of soft and dark colours. The thought of Dranin was not a pleasant one. Despite how much of an addict Dranin had been in the end, and how detached R'fus was from him at the time of his passing due to the preoccupation Eondith provided, there was a soft spot for him in his heart. A big soft spot. They'd been best friends, after all. Something like that wasn't simply forgotten.

"A'right, well," R'fus said, finally, speaking up. "Y'have your fellis. G'night." He strode back to Eondith and mounted, hoping Kio wouldn't need verbal prodding to join.

[/blockquote]

[Nia]

Laughter... well, that was something Kio didn't expect. He was a little taken aback by the sudden laughter, though he managed to smile along. It wasn't like Brandek was laughing at him, and even if he was, Kio didn't particularly care what a crazy fellis addict thought of him. Let him laugh, as long as it got Kio what he wanted. And oh... it definitely got him what he wanted. He'd been about to reply, say something snappy back, show just how smart he could be, but then Brandek and R'fus got to talking... and Kio found that tons more interesting. He eyed R'fus as Brandek spoke, inspecting the other's face for signs of weakness.

And then he found one. Or, rather, Brandek did. The mention of this "Dranin" person had made the atmosphere suddenly turn sour. He tilted his head to the side curiously, and stepped out of the conversation, chosing to listen and soak in the information. He could use this, oh he could definitely use this, especially based on just how R'fus was reacting to those words. But Brandek stopped, to show some kindness to R'fus... and Kio was visibly annoyed. Ah... how lame. He was so close to getting some decent information he could use to blackmail R'fus later... as if knowing the fact that he dealt fellis wasn't enough. Kio's smirk was almost too wide for his face.

He didn't appreciate being called a baby... but, he could put up with it if it meant he got to try that fellis... and more importantly, that he got R'fus to try the fellis too. His smirk lessened to more of a childish grin as he waved to Brandek, not wanting to stay around the off man much longer. "It was a pleasure meeting you," he said, the mocking quite evident in his voice as he gave an exaggerated bow. Kiosk looked uncomfortable and was definitely ready to leave. He watched Kio expectantly. "I suppose we'll see each other again soon," he said cheerily, waving again as he walked back towards R'fus and Eondith.

Kio hopped up on Eondith as well, holding Kiosk and clinging to R'fus again. "He was fun," Kio commented idely, "Weird, but fun...." he continued, thinking. Bring up the fellis now? Wait? Ah... he was so impatient! "He did give you a nice little vial of that... stuff, though," he added, almost as an afterthought. He wasn't going to drop that he knew R'fus had been given the fellis... and he was sure he could somehow manipulate R'fus into getting both of them to try it. He almost laughed... it wouldn't be that hard. He could see the longing in the dealer's gaze. This night was going to get even better....

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[Reky]

Kio's words were snatched up by the air as Eondith took off, leaving Brandek behind in the darkness. R'fus had heard them, though, and his jaw clenched. Yes. Brandek had given him a vial of fellis. It was small, but... it was more than R'fus had in his weyr, which was nothing. He'd ran out a long time ago, and hadn't gotten more, and had hoped that would help him keep off it, but this night he wanted it. He wanted it bad. He had it now, too.

"Yes, he did," R'fus replied to Kio through closed teeth. His voice was snappish. He wanted it so bad, and he didn't want to talk to Kio about it. He didn't want to talk to Kio period. He wanted to get back to Dalibor, kick the wherlings off, and get to his own personal weyr.

Mine, Eondith said, voice calm and soothing. It only helped a little. The little pink firelizard around his neck stirred in her sleep, sensing his discomfort. The blue and his rider focused on the image they'd memorized, of the Weyr moments after leaving.

They snapped between.

Eondith's descent into the Weyrbowl was lazy and casual, much to R'fus' disliking. The blue's goal was to look natural; R'fus' goal was to get his fellis to himself as fast as possible. Soon enough, though, they had touched down on the ground, and Eondith crouched and folded his wings up. The dragon craned his neck back to fix his passengers with a whirling eye.

"Right, here's your stop," R'fus said to Kio without looking at him. The sting of hatred in his voice was all too evident.

[/blockquote]

[Nia]

Hmm... perhaps this wasn't going to be as hard as Kio thought. R'fus obviously had no intent on sharing with him. Kio just wanted to watch... he wasn't even going to use a lot of it! Just a little. He had to be experienced. He hated not knowing things. It was his goal to know everything... and just thinking that there was something he hadn't uncovered in this weyr was torture. He smirked leaning closer to R'fus as they decended. Even when they landed, he didn't move. He kept his arms wrapped around the other man, smirking widely.

"I don't think so," his voice was deadly serious, and his eyes glinted mischeviously, "I think that vial was meant for the both of us. That... Brandek said share. Ah... not that I expect you to care what that guy said, since you were obviously intent on keeping all that to yourself, weren't you?" He was beginning to ramble... but Kio often found it hard to stop when he was going off on one of his various, philosophical tangents. He really did like the sound of his voice.Better hurry up, though, in case this R'fus were to try and shove him off Eondith or something....

He paused, as though giving R'fus time to answer, but rather than caring for an answer, he continued. "Well, that's too bad for you, because I am quite interested in that... fellis substance. And," his smirk darkened, "If you don't share with me- oh, but just a little, I'm not asking for a lot, wouldn't want to become... addicted--" he paused again, ill intent lacing his words with venom, "then I'll go tell the Weyrwoman exactly what you've been doing, where you've been doing it, how you do it, and who your contact is." He stopped his rambling, still holding on to R'fus (and Kiosk, who was growing more and more uncomfortable) and making it quite clear that he was not going to get off.

It wasn't like he'd lose much. Especially since he could claim that he'd gone undercover just to find out this operation for the Weyrwoman. He was such a model citizen, wasn't he? Kio gave a light laugh at the thought. He wasn't going to allow himself to be pushed around by a crazy dealer. He only wanted a little bit... he mostly wanted to sit and observe R'fus take the fellis himself. That was all. Was that really so much to ask? Even if he could almost feel just how much R'fus absolutely despised him... it shouldn't be all that big of a deal to just let him sit quietly and watch....

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[Reky]

"He didn't say I had to."

R'fus clenched his teeth together, hard. Of course. Kio had to go and be annoying about it. He was getting exceedingly impatient. He could feel the vial in his jacket pocket, against his breast, next to the bag of marks. One hand slipped up to feel for it beneath the wherhide while he kept his back to Kio. Eondith's eyes whirled in more irritated colours, fixed on the wherling boy. Inside his closed mouth, he ran his tongue over the back of his teeth, feeling an urge to use them on this child who put such discomfort on his rider.

R'fus could feel Molly's back arc against his neck.

At the next sounding of Kio's voice, the bluerider tensed. Shard it all!

He knew Kio wasn't lying about it, either. He would tell.

R'fus picked his words carefully, trying to keep them level. "Yer wher won't like it, kid." He remembered when Eondith had been young, and R'fus had taken his first dose since the blue's hatching. That had been the most he'd ever heard Eondith say, in his worry. He'd asked, repeatedly, if His was dying, because he couldn't feel his mind for it was all fuzzy and sleepy and barely there. The memory gave both of them chills, and R'fus swallowed against the rising lump in his throat.

"Look, kid. Maybe another time, when yer wher's older, or... or something. I..." He swallowed again. "This is your stop, kid. Get off."

[/blockquote]

[Nia]

Hmm... Kio had to admit, R'fus had a point. He looked down at Kiosk, frowning a little. He loved his wher more than anyone else, he could admit that, and he was sure something about it had to mess up the whers pretty bad. But... dragons and whers were different. There was less of a connection. He felt waves of hurt come through his link from Kiosk, who was extremely scared and nervous. He didn't like this at all! Not even a little! Why was His doing this? It was bad! Not help! Bad! Kio didn't make to try and quiet the nervous thoughts... but it made him soften, if only just a little bit.

But not enough to make him give up.

He sighed, dropping his smirk for a more genuine, annoyed expression. "Look. I just want to watch. I don't care what you do or if you share with me or not, just let me... observe. That's all I ask," he said, his tone serious for once. He disliked being serious, and in an odd way, it made him dislike R'fus... which was new to him. Kio didn't dislike other people. He loved messing with them, so he loved them. But this dealer... ah, he was beginning to get annoyed. Making him go serious? How annoying. Ah... but that wasn't saying he entirely hated R'fus.

"It's pointless for me to help you find other addicts if I can't even tell what someone hooked on this stuff looks like," he added as an afterthought. As creepy as it made him, and like Kio wasn't already enough of a creep already, he just liked to observe things. Doing fellis wasn't the interesting part... watching R'fus get high was. He was highly interested in that, if anything. Kiosk was nervous. So nervous. He was scared, too, but he'd try to be brave for His. Kio had to hold back a frustrated sigh. If only he'd found R'fus before Impressing....

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[Reky]

Kio's persistence was rubbing R'fus in all the wrong ways. Eondith's smoldering gaze remained fixed, almost eerie in how still it was, until R'fus reached out and stroked the blue's suede nose. The dragon relaxed, though the feelings towards Kio were still there. R'fus' impatience was getting the better of him. He wanted to argue. He wanted to yell, and get Kio off Eon, and show the brat that he wouldn't bend to his wishes for observation, but yet, part of him didn't. Part of him wanted to be somewhere private as fast as possible... a large part of him. His entire body was whining at him, begging for the release that the little bottle in his jacket would provide.

He caved.

"Shard you, kid," he grunted. "Stop talking. Shardin' shut up and stay that way. And promise me," here, he finally turned to glare at Kio, "Promise me you'll stop tormenting your wher." Yes, he cared more about the tiny blue, gnarled creature than he did about the boy it belonged to. He knew what it was like to have a lifemate. He had Eondith, and he knew how cruel and painful it was to have your lifemate upset. Eondith knew, too, and perhaps that was part of the reason he was so hostile towards Kio. He could sense the wherling blue's distress.

Then, R'fus turned away again. The blue dragon took off, wings wide, and gracefully landed on the small weyrledge that was his. He slipped inside, into the dusty, weak illumination of the glowbaskets filtering out from R'fus' room. Molly slithered off his neck, fluttering through the darkness like a moth, to curl herself up on the cot's furs. R'fus slid off Eondith's neck, carefully, and his body screamed at him to waste no more time. He fumbled with his gloves and helmet, dropping those to the floor, and reached inside his jacket. The bottle's cork escaped awkwardly from his fingers. He didn't care. Faranth, he didn't care about anything else...

R'fus downed it all, grimacing against the intense bitterness. He closed his eyes, waiting for its effect to take over him. Eondith touched his nose to his rider's chest, and R'fus hugged his head loosely and stroked him. "Mmm..."

[/blockquote]

[Nia]

The dragon didn't like him. Not even he slightest bit. But Kio knew that. He still couldn't look at it directly, though... and not out of fear, just because he didn't want to, was all. He didn't like dragons all that much anyway. He was much more focused on R'fus. But his words... struck an odd chord within the black-haired wherling. He looked at his Blue... as Kiosk... his Kiosk. Was he that scared? Did it matter that he was that scared? Kio knew it would be alright, so why didn't Kiosk? It bothered him. The Blue was visibly distressed, and the one to notice that had been R'fus... not Kio. He was selfish. For a moment, his carefully constructed arrogant smirk shattered into a look of genuine surprise and... hurt. He was taken aback by the remark, and for once, it actually showed in his face.

His fists clenched with a low snarl that Kio regretted the moment it escaped him, and then he was back to normal, his arrogant smirk back on his face even though the damage had been done and R'fus had already turned around. But that didn't matter, because Kio had won. He may have lost his cool for a small moment there... but he'd won. And now he was going to get to see something he'd never seen before. Just the prospect of observing something like this first hand made the pain of Kiosk and R'fus' comments disappear completely. Kiosk clung tighter to His. He didn't like this... and he didn't like being on this dragon and he didn't want to be on here any longer. Kio was somewhat lost. He didn't know how to comfort Kiosk... he didn't even think he was capable of it.

So he settled for holding the little wher closer to him as possible until Eondith touched down again. Kio was eager to get away from the sharding Blue dragon as well, so he hopped down quickly, steadying himself and holding Kiosk in his arms rather than putting him down. But he only did that for a few minutes as he watched R'fus down the bottle of fellis. He placed Kiosk on the ground, and the wher kept close to Kio. He was less nervous now that he wasn't on Eondith... but he still didn't like it here. He didn't like the thoughts that His had.... Please... stop. It'll be okay, he said hesitantly, watching R'fus and Eondith together. He was jealous of their relationship, but only for a second.

But, Kio being Kio... he couldn't help but ruin that moment. He moved closer, though kept an... appropriate distance, watching R'fus' face from as close as he dared to get. He didn't like Eondith. The Blue was... in the way of his observation. Though... he supposed it might be worth it to watch a dragon get a contact-high. Kio resisted the urge to talk. He wanted to say so much... to ask. And then he couldn't hold it back anymore. "What does it feel like?" he asked, as Kio being Kio had to go and break a quiet, peaceful moment.

[/size]

[Reky]

The words seemed to fall on deaf ears. R'fus was seemingly unaffected by the world around him, caught up in feeling the fuzzy existence of himself and Eondith. Slowly, as the fellis set in, Eondith's eyes calmed and R'fus' muscles relaxed. For a while, the rider's weight was mostly supported by his dragon, as he leaned into Eondith. Then, his eyes slowly opened. His vision was a little blurry, but he didn't mind. It was a familiar, warm, numb fuzziness that took over his entire self. It was exactly what he wanted.

Mumbling a little, he belatedly answered Kio's question. "Soft."

Hands gentle and careful, he traced down Eondith's neck. He knew, from previous use, that he had to be careful, because fellis was a painkiller. If he hurt himself, he wouldn't feel it. Making sure he didn't catch his finger on any of the metal bits or pinch it between straps, he went about unfastening Eon's riding leathers, taking his own sweet time. Eondith's eyes closed, letting his rider slowly free him. The effect of the fellis wasn't quite as strong on the dragon as it was on R'fus, but the blue was taking full advantage of it. At least, he was trying his best to ignore Kio for the time being, now that His was relaxed.

[/blockquote]

[Nia]

Kio honestly didn't mind the lack of talking for a while. He was content to just watch as the fellis set in and took over R'fus' senses. He was a little envious that he wasn't allowed to try any... but he resolved that he'd like to actually be able to be competant. And this drug definitely seemed to take away all competance and understand. Which was fine, he guessed, for those that needed an escape. He couldn't blame drug-users... not when they were so sharding interesting.

He moved even closer to R'fus while Kiosk hang back, not wanting to go near the Blue dragon anymore. It was too big. But His was okay... he had to make sure His was safe. And he could do that from here... he didn't have to go so close. Truthfully, Kio didn't have to go so close either, but he was just so interested. He followed every one of R'fus's movements with his eyes, watching just how... clumsy he got. Perhaps that was just because he was being extra careful? Kio wasn't sure, but it intrigued him. He didn't even berate Kio for talking when he'd been warned not to. Good... good.

He had to wonder, just what would R'fus remember when the fellis finally wore off? What could Kio do that he wouldn't remember the next morning? He snickered lightly to himself, watching the dragon as well. Eondith was closing his eyes. Was he sleeping or just feeling the effects of the drug? Kio didn't know, but it was just so sharding interesting. He couldn't get enough. He needed to do something more, to see how R'fus would react to it. Soft. The fellis felt soft. It was an interesting answer. Enough to keep Kio completely enraptured by the careful, but clumsy movements of his hands.

"You're taking your sweet time undoing those straps..." he commented, "Is it hard to focus?" he asked, pure curiosity in his tone rather than the usual malice or mischeviousness. He'd never been quite so interested in something before. He wanted to experiment more, see what he could get R'fus to do and then remember later. Maybe it was more a control thing, he figured. Being able to manipulate someone sure was a control thing.

[/size]

[Reky]

"Oh, I'm focused," R'fus said, voice gentle and calm. He'd let go of whatever strong, hateful feelings he'd held toward Kio, because of the fellis. Every step was like stepping on clouds. Everything he felt was like clouds. Everything he saw was soft like clouds, and his vision was tearing up slightly, but he didn't mind. It all... sparkled, in his tears. It was beautiful. He really was focused, though, on being careful with the straps. A few more long moments of silence and Eondith was released, and R'fus stood straight and gathered up the straps and put them aside. Eondith rustled his wings, and quietly padded over to his dragon couch, where he curled up.

R'fus realized he couldn't see much. He was so tired, too... So comfortable and so tired and numb. Changing the glows didn't occur to him, and it was probably beyond his capabilities right now. Instead, he simply leaned against the rock wall, palms flat to it, and closed his eyes for a moment. He reopened them, though, when he realized how hard it was to keep standing without that extra balance aid. He focused, eyes blank but warm, on a spot on the floor. Kio's feet were a blur just barely within his vision. The whites of his eyes were slightly read, and tears were slipping from them, but he didn't seem to notice, and he could barely feel the wall being him.

Clouds.

It was all clouds. Clouds and warm, warm sunlight.

[/blockquote]

[Nia]

Kio's eyes widdened in surprise at the gentle tone. Where was the hate? The despise? The... the loathing? Was that another effect of the fellis? Of course, it had to be. He highly doubted anything would remove the pure hatred he'd seen in the eyes of that dragon. But now the dragon was sleeping... or high or something. Whatever. So he didn't have to worry about it. He watched the dragon go to it's couch, then watched R'fus lean against the wall. He seemed... woozy. That was a good word for it. Kio almost wished had some sort of pad to write down the effects and what was going on... it was just so interesting, he didn't want to forget it. Drugs did some strange, strange things. And he seemed to think he could still focus. How cute.

Then he moved himself, going closer to R'fus to get a better look at his expression. He looked so out of it. It was funny. But Kio didn't understand the joy of this, losing control like that. He almost shuddered at the thought of not being able to control or remember his actions. He was quite glad he'd been talked out of not trying any of that fellis. ...and a glance at Kiosk, now curled up on the opposite end of the weyr, affirmed that. He felt a little... strangely guilty. But it wasn't enough to stop his investigations. R'fus was first priority right now... he would... try to make it up to Kiosk later. Somehow.

An odd thought dawned on him as he inspected R'fus' face... and he smirked darkly. "I wonder if you'll remember this," he commented idely before tilting his head slightly and crushing their lips together. It wasn't the best, as he was only 18 and not all that experienced, but it was enough to get his point across. He pulled back abruptly, grinning like a fox. If the fellis had made him relaxed enough to not hate Kio anymore... then his reaction to this would be interesting to see. And yes... he'd only done it to judge R'fus' reaction. As much as R'fus... highly interested him.

[/size]

[Reky]

Briefly, he realized that the fellis he'd taken had been some strong stuff, for how little there was in the bottle, but the thought was quickly lost. It was hitting him hard. He was still partly in his right mind, but barely. He could feel his consciousness trying to slip away, but he held on to it, forcing himself to enjoy the feeling of clouds and warmth, instead of falling to velvet darkness. Eondith kept his mental bond with his rider as strong as he could. The dragon knew what it felt like when R'fus was about to pass out, and he'd have to catch him if he wasn't somewhere safe. His slowly-whirling eyes opened to two slits.

Then, came the kiss. While Eondith hissed immediately, tensing at the offending action, it took R'fus' mind a few long moments to register what had happened. His mind was slow and sleepy. The kiss had been hard enough that he'd felt it alright. First, his eyes, which had been staring at the ground, focused on the grinning fox-boy in front of him. Second, his brows knitted up in some mix of confusion and surprise. Third, his eyes narrowed.

"Kio..." There was a sting of disapproval, but still his voice was quiet and half-hearted. It was hard to muster much energy, with his body begging to go to sleep. He was shifting through various states of being able to feel the wall behind him and his body tried to decide exactly how to react to this dose of fellis. It had been a long, long time since he'd had it. He had been proud at how long he'd been clean, but now that record was broken.

R'fus may not have seemed ready to react accordingly to anything else Kio might do, but Eondith did. His wings weren't tucked as tight as they normally would have been, unfurled slightly to give himself a slightly larger, more imposing appearance. The end of his tail flicked in irritation, but it was behind him, and unseen by Kio. Kiosk, who had hung back, might have seen it, though.

[/blockquote]